Louis Armstrong

     By far one of the most famous jazz musicians to date, Louis Armstrong was born into poverty, in the turn of the twentieth century, 1901 to be exact, as he arose to become one of the most talented trumpet players that molded the development of music.  Armstrong's inventiveness, along with his energetic, dazzling style, has influenced generations of musicians. One of the first to perform scat-style singing, Armstrong is well known also for his distinctive gravelly singing voice. Going into the Great Depression was a struggle for many entertainers as it was hard to find work. However, with the contribution of the Depression, Armstrong was emotionally moved to write "Stardust" in 1931 and "All of Me" in 1932, both which received many awards and later entered the Grammy Hall of Fame. Even in the hardest of times, musicians like Armstrong emerged and developed the U.S. to have a  more cultured society, further changing the face of America for good.
"Stardust" (1931)
"All of Me" (1932)

    

Arthur Rothstein

                               

Arthur Rothstein was born in 1915 and from Manhattan and was a noted photographer during the Great Depression era in the US. He is recognized for his contribution to the Farm Security Administration and the issue of raising awareness about the poverty being caused by the dust bowl. At age 21, he was the first photographer to be hired by Roy Striker, the head of the Resettlement Agency, to photograph the Dust Bowl in 1936. His pictures were later added to the Farm Security Administration’s collection, which included his most famous works. He later went on to photograph some of the events of World War II before his death in 1985.

Arthur Rothstein’s most recognized photo is called “Fleeing a Dust Storm,” (Top) and truly captures the essence of his work. It was taken in Cimarron County, Oklahoma and shows a man dragging his two kids through a dust storm. The background contains a destroyed and buried wood house and barren fields. The photo is a visual representation of the intense poverty felt by farmers of the time. Similarly, the other photo has a little boy wearing tattered clothing cover his mouth and closing his eyes because of all of the dust being blown around. He is standing on what probably used to be a farm but know is destroyed by the dust. Both of these photos were used to raise awareness about the Dust Bowl to congress and the general public through the efforts of the Farm Security Administration.

John Steinbeck (1902-1968)

One of the most influential authors of both the Great Depression and the 20th century, John Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California in 1902. After finishing his literary education at Stanford university, Steinbeck was forced to live on a boat during the Great Depression, and fell in and out of poverty. His "dust bowl fiction" novels most accurately express the dire situation which farmers' experienced during the Great Depression.



Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men follows the story of two tenant workers, George and Lennie, who have fled to California in seek of work because of the Dust Bowl. Steinbeck shows the other side of the Dust Bowl, the hidden part unknown to most Americans, especially in the northeast. Steinbeck very effectively convey's the emotional toll that tenant workers experienced during the depression. This aids in understanding the Great Depression as a whole, both on a political and a personal level.

Similarly, The Grapes of Wrath tells the story of the Joads, a family of sharecroppers forced to move west because of the Dust Bowl. This novel focuses on economic hardship and changes in the Agricultural Industry during the Depression, and lends itself to a very pro-worker and anti-capitalist message.

Both of these novels help readers grasp a more complete sense of the Depression, one that goes beyond the statistical data presented in most history textbooks.

Works Cited

"John Steinbeck - Biographical." John Steinbeck - Biographical. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2014. <http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1962/steinbeck-bio.html>.

"John Steinbeck - Google Search." John Steinbeck - Google Search. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2014. <https://www.google.com/search?q=john+steinbeck&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=j_ZfVK_YD8z3yQS0loIY&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1366&bih=643#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=3XBgkiGJ9X1oFM%253A%3BE-MSPnh1Tfg1UM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fa3.files.biography.com%252Fimage%252Fupload%252Fc_fill%252Cdpr_1.0%252Cg_face%252Ch_300%252Cq_80%252Cw_300%252FMTE5NDg0MDU1MTM4MzA1NTUx.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.biography.com%252Fpeople%252Fjohn-steinbeck-9493358%3B300%3B300>.

Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Viking, 1939. Print.

Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. New York: Penguin, 1993. Print.

Marion Post Wolcott

Marion Post Wolcott was a noted American photographer who worked for the Farm Security Adminstration during the Great Depression. Her documentations included poverty and deprivation. Born in New Jersey in 1910, she spent most of her time home and at boarding school. During this period, she met many musicians and artists and became interested in dance.

Training as a teacher, she saw the hardships of the Depression and the problems of the poor. On a trip to Europe over a school break, she was introduced to photography and was told to stick with it. As she was continuously approached with stories, she found herself with an offer from the Farm Security Administration and decided to take the job. 

Post's photography for the FSA explored political aspects of poverty and life during the depression. This photograph shows the life of African American children in North Carolina in 1938. The lone standing house and the setting of the photography suggests that life during the Depression was overwhelmingly hard especially for minorities.  Towards the end of the depression, Wolcott met Lee Wolcott and once she finished her FSA assignments, they got married, raised a family and traveled the world. 

Dorothea Lange

Dorothea Lange lived from 1895-1965. She has been hailed as "America's greatest documentary photographer." She is most famous for her portrait photographs of migrant workers during the Great Depression. Lange began photographing the labor strikes and breadlines which were visible in her own city of San Francisco. She then got married in the early 1930's and she and her husband traveled for 5 years interviewing and photographing victims for the Farm Security Administration. 

"White Angel Breadline"

This photograph is taken as one of her first attempts of capturing people in her hometown before she worked for the government. At the White Angel Jungle, a soup kitchen in San Francisco, a starving man among others awaits his free meal. Many of these people rely on donations from others because of their limited resources.

"Migrant Mother"

Above is an image, "Migrant Mother," which is Lange's most notorious photograph. This photograph captures the pain and hardship of a migrant mother with her many children. It serves as a representation of what many Americans faced during the Great Depression. 

                                                                   Works Cited

• "The History Place - Dorothea Lange Photo Gallery: Migrant Farm Families." The History Place - Dorothea Lange Photo Gallery: Migrant Farm Families. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2014.
• "SFMOMA | SFMOMA | Explore Modern Art | Our Collection | Dorothea Lange | White Angel Breadline, San Francisco." San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2014.
• Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 07 Nov. 2014

Jackson Pollock

One of the better know and very influential painters during the Great Depression was Jackson Pollock. Before he could make money off of his paintings, Pollock was funded by the Federal Art Project. Pollock is most know for being a forefather in american abstract painting (http://www.jackson-pollock.org/).



http://totallyhistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/going-west-jackson-pollock-1935.jpg

Here is a painting Pollock made about people going west. The west was seen as a possible place for promise during this time

http://totallyhistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/blue-moby-dick-jackson-pollock.jpg

And here is my favorite painting by Pollock

Big Bill Broonzy (1893-1958)

 Big Bill Broonzy (1893-1958) was a popular blues musician during the 1930's and a major contributor to the Chicago blues scene before World War II.  He grew up in the South and moved North as he became a professional musician. His music during the 1930's was mainly in the style of "city blues," an often more methodical style of blues created as southern blues musicians moved North during the Great Migration.

 

Big Bill Broonzy playing his guitar

Broonzy's song "Black, Brown, and White" addresses the inequality and racism experienced by African Americans in the 20's and 30's. The lyrics mention unequal employment opportunities for black and white Americans, unequal salary, Jim Crow laws, and question why a black man who has fought for his country should have to endure racism back at home. Although the song became a staple of his live concerts, record companies refused to record the song until years later.

"When Will I Get to Be Called a Man," like "Black, Brown, and White," describes the inequality of race relations. The lyrics focus on the subordinate identity of African Americans, especially the unequal treatment of those who fought in WWI.